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<P>Kathy, John, and OSN:</P>
<P>Thanks in advance for the dialogue.</P>
<P>Walking and bike riding are excellent for sustainability. Encouraging more community planning that incorporates sidewalks, bikepaths, buses, and rail is a great policy next step. Recognizing the connection between physical inactivity and prolonged commuter time from sprawling land use is another step. Promoting smart growth or new urbanism development where livable, walkable communities are the norm will help stave off our demand for additional driving and energy use. <BR><BR>While we're making this paradigm shift we are going to need additional energy sources. Branching out from our traditional import focused fossil fuel base towards cleaner domestic sources of energy can help to bridge the 'shift.' Are biofuels implicitly sustainable? Good question to ask. Are we prolonging the inevitable? What is 'the
inevitable?' Perhaps the inevitable is an increase in net demand for energy? Why not 'add-value' to traditional agriculture products and bio-waste for increased economic activity especially in rural Oklahoma? Why not create new markets for our state's bio-products while building on our energy heritage thus contributing to the paradigm shift. Gradually the biomass refinement process will become more efficient and steps can be made to increase the qualities of sustainability, such as the feedstock source.</P>
<P>Over and over I hear about how much Oklahoman's love the "freedom" of their cars. Until the sustainability movement can offer viable alternatives to our "car craze" we should support efforts that incrementally move us toward a new paradigm.</P>
<P>Sincerely,</P>
<P>Seneca Scott <BR><BR></P></DIV>
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<DIV></DIV>From: <I>"Kathy Tibbits" <kathy-tibbits@cherokee.org></I><BR>To: <I>"Seneca Scott" <chiefseneca@hotmail.com>,<ok-sus@lists.oksustainability.org></I><BR>Subject: <I>Biofuels... Solution or</I><BR>Date: <I>Thu, 25 Aug 2005 13:34:26 -0500</I><BR>><BR>>Question: Are biofuels implicitly sustainable? Or just novel? Because, I'm thinking that biofuels at this time, are merely a way to prolong the inevitable. I don't yet see biofuels as a logical solution, since biofuel production is energy intensive. Plus, biofuels don't really do anything about changing the paradigm. It still involves investing in more "sunk cost" of moving big metal objects on expensive-to-make-and-maintain roads. Not that I have a better solution than the bike... which
doesn't solve moving big quantums of food into vulnerable cities which can't feed themselves otherwise....<BR>><BR>>Sorry to toss out such a bewildering question. I'm openminded about it. Just don't want to mine up the last of our soil minerals for SUVs.<BR>><BR>>Kathy<BR></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></div></html>